Header for car doors



Fame E9, E951 F. DlTcHFlELD HEADER FOR CAR DooRs Filed June 15, 1948 Q In Patented June 19, 1951 HEADER FOR CAR DOORS Frank Ditcheld, Cleveland, Ohio, assgnor to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Applicationjune 15, 194s, serial N0. 33,203

3 Claims. (Cl. 20-26) This invention relates to headers for car doors and more particularly to headers adapted to trap and vdischarge dust, cinders, rain and the like outwardly of the door openings in the cars.

It is an object of this invention to provide headers for car doors so constructed as to more effectively trap foreign matter which passes over the top of the doors than headers heretofore known and prevent the ingress of such matter into the cars through the door openings formed therein.

A further object is to provide headers for car doors which shall baille and collect foreign matter passing over the top of the doors that would otherwise gain ingress to the cars through 'the f door openings formed therein and dispose of such matter outwardly of the door openings.

A further object is to provide headers for car doors which shall embody troughs and bailes and be so constructed as to discharge foreign matter from the troughs outwardly of the door openings formed in the cars and prevent foreign matter from being blown into the cars at the points of discharge.

Other objects of the invention will become clear as the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming part of this specilication:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentaryv elevation with parts broken away of the upper portion of a sliding door shown in closed position for a railway car and adjacent portions of the side wall of the car and embodying the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on lined-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral Ill designates a portion of aside wall of a railway house car. The construction of the car may be of the well known design designated a's an AAR car and embodies a vZ-shaped side plate Il disposed with its web I2 horizontally, one ange I3 depending therefrom and the other ange lli extending upwardly from the web. As is customary, the side plate extends substantially from end to end of the car and is adapted to support a roof (not shown). The side plate, moreover, defines the top of a door opening I5, the Width of which is determined by the front and rear door posts I6 and Il. The front door post is channel-shaped in section and embodies a transversely extending web I8 and forwardly extending inner and outer anges I9 and 20. The rear door post I1 embodies a transversely extending web 2| and rearwardly extending inner and outer flanges 22 and 23.

A door stop 24 is secured to the iront door post I6. The door stop embodies a flange 25 riveted to the flange 2U of the door post as by means of rivets 26, an outwardly extending liange 21, a forwardly extending flange 28, an outwardly extending flange 29 and an outwardly and rearwardly extending flange 30. The upper edge of the door stop 24 terminates at the underside of the door header 3l of the instant invention which is hereinafter more fully described in order to permit the header to communicate with a downspout 32. This downspout is formed by the cooperation of the door stop 24, an angular plate member 33 and a Z-shaped door retaining member 312 secured to the downwardly extending ange I3 of the side plate as by means of rivets 35. The construction of the downspout is more fully described and claimed in the patent to F. Ditcheld, 2,362,362, granted November '7, 1944, to which reference i hereby made.

An angle member 35 is secured to the outer flange 23 of the rear door post Il as by means of rivets 31. The outwardly extending leg 38 of the angle member 36 carries a Spark and weatherstrip 39 which is adapted to be engaged by a sealing strip 4i) secured to the rear margin of an outer sliding door 4I in order to seal the rear portion of the door when it is in closed position. The door 4I is of well known construction and generally embodies a metallic panel 42 formed with spaced horizontal corrugations 43. The marginal portions of the door are reinforced. As

is customary the reinforcement for the front vertical margin of the door is in the form of a substantially channel-shaped member 44 which is adapted to abut the door stop 2d when the. door is in closed position. In addition to the sealing strip '40 which also serves as a reinforcement for the rear margin of the door, the latter is reinforced by mea-ns of a buffer angle 45. The top margin of the door is reinforced by means of in angle 46 disposed with one leg 4l' in vertical position and riveted to the outer face of the door panel as indicated at 58 and the other leg 49 disposed horizontally and extending inwardly toward the side plate I l.

The door header 3l embodies an upstanding ange 5U which is secured to the inner face of the side plate ange I3 as by means of rivets 5I. The header also embodies an outwardly extending ange 52, an upwardly extending flange 53 which lies in proximate relationship to the inner face of the door and an inwardly and downwardly extending flange 54 which is disposed in proximate relationship to the underside of the inwardly extending flange 49 of the door reinforcing angle 46. The forward edge of the upstanding flange 50 of the door header terminates substantially 'at the flange 21 of the door stop. Flange J-52 of the door header extends outwardly beyond the side plate flange I3 and is coped as indicated at 55 and 56 to substantially conform to the flanges 2l and 28 of the door stop 24 which are overlapped by the header. In this manner direct communication is provided at the front edge of the header between the trough provided thereby and the downspout 32 so that matter trapped within the header may be discharged outwardly of the door opening through the downspout. Flanges 53 and 54 of the header extend continuously into abtument with an inwardly extending flange'E'l which is formed on the angular plate member 33. with reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings in will be seen thatV a portionv58 of the inwardly and downwardly extending flange 4 of the header overlaps a portionof the downspout `so that it serves to baille any foreign matter which may be blown upwardly through vthe spout and votherwise tend to enter the car without obstructing freecommunication between the trough and downspout.

.At-the rearof the -door header the upstanding flange 50 terminates at the angle -member 36. The outwardly extending flange 52 extends outwardly beyond the side plate flange I3 in loverlapping relationship to the flange 38 of angle member 36 and the spark strip 39. Flange 52 is cut awayv as indicated at59 so that the remainder of this flange at the rear portion of the header lies upon the spark strip 39. The inwardly and downwardly extending flange 54 of the header is coped, asindicated at 60 and 6I, so that the rear portion of this flange extends inwardly beyond the `remaining portion of the outwardly extending flange 52 and overlaps the spark strip 39 in such a manner as to baille any foreign matter l which might blow upwardly at the rear edge of the door and tendrto find its way into the car. This is more clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Matter trapped within the trough may be discharged therefrom outwardly of the 1 spark strip 39 and hence beyond the door opening.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the `header of the instant invention serves to weatherproof the upper ledge of 'the door more effectively than has heretofore been possible. By means of the inwardly and downwardly extending flange of the header any matter which may blow upwardly at the front and rear edges of lthe door and any matter which may blow over the top edge of the door and be accumulated within the trough of the header will be prevented from finding its way over the header and into the car. In the movement of the car along the Vtrack a swirling action is set up within the header trough which heretofore caused such matter as was not discharged from the ends of the header to be blown over the header and into the car through the door opening. The inwardly and downwardly extending ange, however, forms a complete baille to the swirling matter and prevents it from entering the car. In the event that any of this matter should lodge upon the flange 54 of the header When the door is open, the slope of the flange will cause such matter to gravitate into the trough of the header rather than into the car.

It will be apparent that numerous changes rand modifications in the details of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefor, that all such modifications and changes be'comprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the lclaims appended hereto.

IA claim:

l. In a railway car having a side wall provided `with a door opening and a sliding door for closing said door opening secured to said side plate, an outwardly extending flange, a flange extending upwardly from said latter flange in spaced relationship to said side plate and a baille flange extending inwardly from said upwardly extending flange and terminating in spaced relationship to said side plate, said inwardly extending baille flange being spaced from said door.

2. In a railway car having a side wall provided with a door opening, a side plate at the top of said door opening, a door for closing said door opening, an inwardly extending reinforcing flange at the top of said door, a header secured to said side plate, an outwardly extending flange terminating in proximate relationship tothe inner face of said door, a flange extending upwardly from the outerfedge of said latter flange and a baille flange extending inwardly from said upwardly extending flange and terminating in spaced relationship to said side plate, said inwardly extending baille flange lying in proximate spaced relationship to said inwardly extending door reinforcing flange.

3. In a railway car having a side wall provided with a door opening, a side plate at the top of said door opening, a door for closing said door opening, an inwardly extending reinforcing ange at the top of said door, a header secured to said side plate, an outwardly extending flange terminating in proximate relationship to the inner face of said door, a flange extending upwardly from the outer edge of said latter flange and a baille flange extending inwardly from said upwardly extending flange and terminating in spaced relationship to said side plate, said inwardly extending baille flange sloping downwardly and lying in 'proximate spaced relationship to said inwardly extending door reinforcing flange.

FRANK DITCHFIELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,362,362 Ditchileld Nov. 7, 1944 2,372,394 Reese Mar. 2'7, 1945 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,557 ,37 6 June 19, 1951 FRANK DITCHFIELD It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 4, line 20, after the Word opening insert a side plate at 'the top of said a300?a operai/lag, a header;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. Signed and sealed this 4th day'of September, A. D. 1951.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant ommisszoner of Patents. 

